Dreams & Demons

9 years, 11 months after banishment.

Dear Diary,

I swear something is wrong. I have tried to speak with my sister, but, she says that its probably just an effect from Nightmare.

The dreamscape is... acting strange.

It will shift, and mold. Moving in an odd way. It will change, and shift, as if it is filled with life.

Yes, I know that it is, but... It has never done this before!

Its as if it knows that something is going to happen. As if something is affecting it. Could it be the tenth year anniversary that's doing this..?

... could it be Nightmare?

I do see her, in the room in the dreamscape. She doesn't do much anymore, merely sits there, staring. She hasn't done much since I defeated the tantabus. She'll sometimes talk, but... That's rare. I plan on asking her tonight.

Dear Diary,

It has been 3 days since I last wrote in you. Things are getting worse.

The dreamscape is changing rapidly, becoming a twisting maze with no way to traverse it, even for myself. The most I can do is move a door to someones dream to me, and go through it, unlike what I normally do, which is just traverse until I find a door with a dream. I have asked Twilight to monitor it with me tonight.

I hope that this isn't some... remnant, of the tantabus.

Dear Diary,

It has been 1 day since I last wrote in you.

Twilight told me that, something is definitely wrong with the dreamscape. Its as if its magic is growing, getting out of control. As if something is GIVING it power!

I have told my sister, and now, we are having specialists work on figuring this out.

I know it won't be enough.

Dear Diary,

Screw the formalities, things are getting out of hand! I went to bed, and woke in the dreamscape!

I tried to escape, but couldn't. I was trapped in my own realm, with no way out!

While I was there, I felt something else as well. A...

Shadow, lurking always out of my vision, but, it was there. It is causing this. And...

It feels angry. Angry with me. Angry with people. And especially angry, with my sister.

When I woke, guards had broken in, and shook me awake. It turns out, that something is going on.

Everyone in Canterlot that had been sleeping are scratched up, and reports are coming in that they were in a void, and something, attacked them. Its not just that, but...

When I woke, I was wearing a dress that was not mine, and wearing a pendant as well. The dress was a flowing black and purple dress, which hung on my hips elegantly. The locket was...

Odd, to say the least. Inside, it was empty, except with a note... I am going to paste the note into this tonight.

I am not going back into the dreamscape. I have made a decision about it.

With a spell I will cast tonight, the entire dreamscape will be frozen, until we can figure out what is happening.

Dreams, will stop, until then.

Time since 'The Meeting' - 9 years, 11 months, 31 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes

It was a cold, cold night. The wind whistled through the buildings and parks, through the castle corridors, and through open windows. But, even if it was cold, that did not mean that people were asleep.

The streets were crowded with people, who should be happy. New year would soon begin. But, there was no happiness, anywhere. None at all.

You may be wondering, why? Why was there no happiness?

Well, I can answer that easily. It had been 20 days since I had disabled the dreamscape, and yet...

Each night, every person in all of the world, from what we can gather, has had the same, exact dream...

I can see that place now.

A dark void. A place where no light was. No magic. Nothing at all.

There wasn't even cold, for this place had no temperature either.

Something would dart around you, and uncontrollable fear would smother you, making it so you can't move. You couldn't even if you wanted too, this place not letting you do anything at all. Not even breathing.

You would hear something around you. Words. How could words survive in a void like place?

"Bring her back"

Over and over and over. It wouldn't stop. Neither loud, nor quiet.

This would continue for hours, until, finally, you could see something... A grin, fire, a tophat, and cane... that's all you would see.

And then, you were awake.

"Lulu, you seem... distant"

It threw me from my thoughts, making me turn to see... my sister. Her hair was in a ponytail, which she likes to do on events. She wore a fire red dress, shining like the sun, and reminded me of her pet Phoenix. But, that elegance did not hide her eyes, or rather, whats below them. Dark grey is there, showing her weariness. She was exhausted.

"Yea, you seem *yawn* distant, Luna." a new voice said, which made me look past Celly, to see my nephew. Cadance. Her hair was also in a ponytail. To say the truth, it was Cadance who inspired Celestia to put her hair in a ponytail. It made sense. If Cadance wore it well, big chance Celly would too. I could see her amazing pink and purple dress.

The bags were there too, beneath her eyes.

"Its nothing, nothing at al--" I had nearly gotten that bit out, until a voice beside me spoke up, making me turn my head.

"Its the situation, isn't it?" Twilight asked. I turned, to see her... taller, definitely taller, than she used to be. I can remember this had been happening since her coronation so long ago. It was most likely due to being part alicorn now, since this happened to cadance after her coronation. She wore something both nerdy, and fancy. It was... hard to describe it.

Twilight had also added something to her arsenal of clothes. Glasses!~

I have to say, they make her look, so, so cuuuuute! I would snuggle with her, if I could! In fact, her wearing glasses inspired me to wear glasses, sometimes. The grey was there too!

I sighed to myself, and began.

"Yes, it is. It just bugs me to have my realm shut down! And... how dreams are still occurring".

"Technically, they aren't dreams, and they aren't multiple, so more like dream. It is just a signal, from somewhere, broadcasting over and over to people while they sleep! Its replacing the dreamscape!" Twilight finished, and made Celestia look at her, glaring a bit. The loss of sleep was truly affecting her, same with the others around the globe. This signal seemed to make sleep half as effective, putting everyone into despair.

Twilight 'EEP'D' adorably, causing me to sigh.

"Yes, I know that, but... Who is doing this!?" I began, spouting into the Canterlot voice for a second there. Sleep was affecting me too.

"Sister, we must not focus on that for now. Tonight, we celebrate. Let loose a bit, as we welcome in, the new year!" she said, smiling, placing her hand on my shoulder. I must say right now, that I was wearing the dress I had not owned, and the locket.

I had really wanted too, for some reason, and... Well, it did feel niiiiice~

"Yes sister, you are right..."

"Now SHHHHH, the countdown is beginning!" Cadance said, causing us all to giggle. We were all tired, but Cadance seemed to become more... childish, when she was this tired. I wonder if she's losing her mind?

So the countdown began. Everyone shouting out as the students this year, graduated from Celly's school cast a spell, making '10' appear in the sky.. We did this every new years, letting the unicorns test what they have learned. At first, I thought this idea was terrible, until I learned something. Since there are so many students casting the spell, even if many mess up, nothing bad will happen.

It began to countdown, but I zoned out, catching on at 5.

4

3

2

1

My tradition began.

Every year, time slowed down for me at this moment. Letting me look around for a second, seeing my friends, family, and people, and ponder for a moment. I did so, staring at everything I could.

Wait...

What is that in the sky?

That... black ball..?

That's, when it began.